Robbie Burns Day

         

The Other Red Meat
     By Alf

 Some hae meat and canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it;
But we hae meat and we can eat,
And sae the Lord be thankit.

-- Selkirk Grace by Robert Burns

Robbie Burns Day is coming, and I’d like to tell you about how you can have some haggis of your very own.

A shrill, piercing wail split the night and rattled the windows.  Surrounded by a wall of sound, all heads turned as one in that crowded banquet hall to stare in wonder at the bagpipers strutting by.  I was ten years old on that snowy winter evening long ago, as I watched them pipe in the haggis to celebrate the birthday of the Scottish poet, Robert Burns.

There were four pipers and two drummers, each decked out in the full regalia of kilts and tam-o'-shanters.  But the real star of the show was not the music or even the ghost of Robert Burns; it was the haggis.  Carried in on a silver platter like the crown of a monarch in regal procession, the haggis made its exalted appearance directly following the pipers.

What in the world is haggis, you may ask?  Contrary to misleading stories spun by jokers, a haggis is not a small, hairy creature that roams the moors at night.  It is also not a boiled bagpipe.  But rather it is the King of Puddings, a legendary dish revered and celebrated by Scots for centuries now. 

Legend has it that the mighty haggis got its start in a very practical way.  It is said that Scottish women used to fling bags of hot haggis across churning streams to their hungry husbands waiting for it on the other side.  This provided the farmers with their mid-day meal, so they did not have to stop work and trudge home in order to eat.  From these lowly origins, the haggis has ascended to the lofty place it holds today.

You too can pipe in your own haggis.  The following is a recipe for the noble dish along with a recipe for Clapshot, which is its traditional accompaniment.

Haggis

1 sheep’s stomach bag
2 lbs. dry oatmeal
1 lb. chopped mutton suet
1 lb. lamb or venison liver, boiled and minced
2 cups stock
Sheep’s heart, boiled and minced
1 large chopped onion
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

 The night before, wash the stomach in cold water.  Turn it inside out, scrape it, and soak it overnight in cold, salted water. Brown the oatmeal lightly in the oven or on the top of the stove until it is crisp. Excluding the stomach, combine all of the other ingredients together, and add enough stock to moisten.

Since the oatmeal will swell during cooking, only fill the stomach about half full; press the air out, and sew up the stomach with a trussing needle and string. *  Pierce the stomach with the needle in several places to let out steam so that the haggis will not burst.

Place in a pan of boiling water.  Cover the pan and boil slowly for 4 to 5 hours. Add more water as necessary to keep the haggis covered while it cooks.  Alternatively, you can place the haggis in the top of a steamer and cook until done. 

Haggis is traditionally served with clapshot and neat whiskey.

*If you choose to make haggis without the sheep’s stomach, place the mixture in a greased, ovenproof bowl, cover with foil, and tie the foil on with string.  Steam as above. 

Clapshot

1 lb potatoes
1 tablespoon chives, chopped
1 lb. turnips
1 heated tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper

Cook the potatoes and turnips separately.   Drain the vegetables, and then mash them very well together with the chives and butter.  Add salt and pepper to taste and serve very hot.